• Waveform@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The safety net has people-sized holes in it. I nearly became homeless in June, and it wasn’t the state that came through for me, it was a relative. Even though I’m stll sleeping on a porch, I count myself lucky.

    The programs that are supposed to help people stay housed are failing: not enough funds for housing vouchers, restrictions too high for enrollment, and waiting lists too long for practicality.

    And Gavin is a wannabe autocrat. If it weren’t for him and his vetomania, we would have legalized natural psychedelics in CA by now. But no, instead we have people out there getting sick from sketchy products. And it seems like it’s the same with everything: do the exact opposite of helping while making it look like you care.

    Edit: there are decent leaders out there though, such as this mayor who lived as a homeless man for a week to gain some insight on the matter.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      A large number of the homeless people in L.A. have jobs. It’s just ridiculously expensive to live there, so they end up living in their cars or a tent.

      • sunzu@kbin.run
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        3 months ago

        Most homeless people are invisible ie you can’t tell they are homeless.

        They got work, they get by as hard as it is.

        But fake teevee always showing junkies on teevee, and act like they all deserve it.

        🤡

      • Waveform@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        That’s what I’ve heard as well. Passing them on the street you’d probably think they weren’t even homeless at all. Not everyone finds it possible to get their life together that much, though :/

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I don’t know about L.A. in specific, but-

          a 2021 study from the University of Chicago estimates that 53% of people living in homeless shelters and 40% of unsheltered people were employed, either full or part-time, in the year that people were observed homeless between 2011 – 2018.

          https://endhomelessness.org/blog/employed-and-experiencing-homelessness-what-the-numbers-show/

          And that was all pre-COVID and housing bubble, obviously.

          There are over 650,000 homeless in America now. So even if it’s only 40% of those…

          • sunzu@kbin.run
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            3 months ago

            650k is the visible homeless, my understanding there is another million of people who are not visible homeless.